The Guardians
by HushDon'tLetThemHearYou
Summary: Sakura is badly injured on a mission, causing her to have a strange dream where she is told she is a guardian of chakra? What does that mean? And what are these hooded figures that are after them? REWRITE ONGOING
1. An Unexpected Mission

The heat beat down on the roads as the sun raised high in the sky. The forest surrounding the trails only trapped the heat, making it that much hotter.

"Alright, let's take a break! Everyone drink plenty of water!" A tall man with spiky gravity defying silver hair and black eyes called out from the front of a large convoy. He dressed in traditional ninja clothing with a black mask covering most of his face, his forehead protector was lowered over his left eye and the symbol for the Leaf Village stood proudly on his forehead.

The horses stopped moving, letting out whining noises as the many carts stopped behind one another. A brown haired man smiled at the grey haired man. "Thank you so much for this, Hatake-san. We never would have made it through the passage without you and your team."

The man known as Kakashi Hatake gave a smile to the man, visible only by the crinkle of his mask. "It's no problem. It is a shinobi's duty."

A young girl eavesdropped on the conversation, not too far from the front of the convoy, she handed canteens of water to the people. An old woman looked at her, her aging face lifting in a smile as she drank. She handed the canteen back to the girl who smiled kindly.

"Thank you, child. You are truly a saving grace." The woman smiled gratefully. The girl blushed before telling her "It's no problem at all. Please, keep hydrated."

The girl ignored the heat and continued onwards down the line. Her long pink hair was pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head and she had her forehead protector worn as a headband instead of on her forehead. She brushed away the sweat gathering on her forehead and sighed in the heat. Her green eyes kept alert despite the heat and she made sure to pass the canteen to everyone she could.

She went back to the top of the convoy as soon as everyone had water. She smiled at her sensei, who kept a close eye on everyone in the convoy. She grinned at her sensei, speaking once she was near enough.

"Everyone has had water, Kakashi-sensei." She smiled and his mask crinkled into a smile. "Good job, Sakura."

Loud shouting came from a further down cart and both Sakura and Kakashi turned to see the disruption. A young boy glared, his arms crossed at older boy with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit which made him stand out quite a bit.

"You can't do that, you giant pumpkin!"

Sakura sighed as she saw her teammate get into a fight with a younger boy. He yelled in frustration.

"I can so; I'm a shinobi, your just a little kid!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "Naruto!"

Naruto turned to his sensei, who gave him a deadpanned look. Naruto pouted and the little boy stuck out his tongue. Naruto gritted his teeth and moved on, getting the message from Kakashi.

Kakashi suddenly raised his head in alert and Sakura looked at him confused. He pulled out a kunai, facing the woods with a serious look.

"Sakura, tell the convoy to go as fast as they can to tea country, it isn't too far from here."

Sakura looked in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei?" He didn't turn to her, keeping his eyes focused on the woods. "Now, Sakura."

Sakura frowned before rushing to the convoy owner, just as she reached the man who was sitting in the seat, the horse snorted and whined. It backed away but the cart prevented it from moving backward any farther.

It made a loud whine before lifting its front feet off the ground and kicking in the air.

"What the-? What is it, girl?" The convoy owner looked in shock as the horse landed its feet before taking off in a run.

The cart took off fast and the horses behind the first cart began to follow just as fast.

Sakura looked in shock as the convoy's horses just ran as fast as they could.

She heard rustling and looked at where Kakashi was staring at the woods, his body tensed for a fight.

A figure covered in a black cloak wandered into the field. It stumbled a bit but landed in front of Kakashi, who tensed up.

Naruto and her other teammate, a boy with black spiky hair and onyx eyes named Sasuke came racing up, both had kunai, prepared for a fight.

"Stay back!" Naruto and Sasuke skidded to a hault in shock. "He is way past your skill level. You don't stand a chance."

Sasuke glared at the figure, gritting his teeth.

In a flash the figure disappeared and Kakashi deflected all the kunai that had been thrown at him. The figure reappeared behind Kakashi, who blocked his attack and jumped backwards, regaining his Barings.

The figure suddenly held out its hand towards Kakashi, a long iron sword appearing in his hand.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Kakashi demanded but the figure did not give a movement. Suddenly it moved, running forward. Kakashi dodged the slash only for the figure to slash the other way just as fast.

Kakashi gritted his teeth before the figure suddenly stopped. Kakashi frowned in confusion.

Sakura screamed as she saw a large shadow manifest behind kakashi and strike him in the back of the head. Kakashi fell to the ground and didn't move.

Fear came across Sakura as she realized that the shadow and this figure had taken down her sensei so easily.

The figure looked at her, his hood turning to face her. She flinched back in fear before shadow clones of Naruto jumped onto the figure.

The clones gritted their teeth before a slash from the sword caused all of the clones to disappear into smoke. The figure turned to Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke ran sideways while Naruto kept his attention with kunai. Sasuke, eyes now lit into the sharingan ran through hand signs very fast before unleashing a giant flame of fire from his mouth. The figure seemingly disappeared, avoiding the fire.

It appeared behind Naruto where Naruto narrowly managed to dodge the sword. Sakura felt her heart racing, she grabbed kunai from her pouch but the figure looked at her once and she suddenly felt everything in her freeze.

She could barely breathe as she felt frozen, watching helplessly as her teammates fought the figure. The figure appeared in front of Naruto who tried to move but was too late as he threw Naruto, who landed on a tree, coughing blood from the hard hit. Sakura couldn't even speak as she watched it.

Sasuke glared at Sakura. "Are you going to help? What are you doing, Sakura!" She tried to open her mouth to scream, her hands shook from the pointless effort she had trying to move it. Realizing she couldn't move, he gritted his teeth.

Small gasping sounds came from her throat but that was all she could do as she watched the figure head towards Sasuke. Sasuke threw kunai towards him before trying to run sideways. The figure appeared in his pathway and before Sasuke could move, he grabbed sasuke's head and pushed his head onto the ground, his body following with a loud thud.

Sakura tried to scream, to cry, do anything but her body did not respond.

The figure pushed his foot onto Sasuke's head driving it down into the dirt, he groaned at the pressure. The figure made a seal with his free hand and chains rose from the ground, strapping around Sasuke and pulling him into the dirt farther.

He struggled, gritting his teeth in pain, he pushed against the dirt but the chains let out a gold color and Sasuke screamed in pain.

Sakura wanted to scream but she couldn't get anything to move. She pushed chakra through her hand to move but could do nothing. She saw Naruto struggling to lift himself against the tree and he made a sign for a shadow clone.

His eyes widened as nothing happened. He made the sign again but again but nothing happened. The figure turned to him and Naruto growled.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto screamed, bringing a kunai to defend himself.

The figure did not answer, it didn't even move as if it heard it. He made the same sign and chains burst from the tree, swinging around Naruto, he tried to move the chains only reached forward, wrapping against his arms and legs and pulling him against the tree with loud thud.

He grunted in pain but glared at the figure in defiance. The figure paid no attention and looked at Sakura. His eyes narrowed underneath the hood and suddenly Sakura could move. Her arms released from their frozen state and she brought the kunai close to her defensively.

She breathed heavily as her eyes switched from Sasuke form on the ground to Naruto being held on the tree. Fear filled her as the figure walked towards her, his menacing red eyes glowing from under the hood.

She stepped back in fear but clutched the kunai to her chest. She glared at him determinedly. She would not run. She would not falter.

As soon as he was close enough, she slashed out with the kunai but his gloved hand wrapped around her wrist and clenched. She yelled in pain and the kunai dropped to the ground. She stared in fear at the menacing figure in front of her.

"Sakura!" She could hear both Naruto and Sasuke's screams as she was forced to stare at the figures face. She could feel the freezing fear fill her as he reached his free hand towards her forehead.

She struggled against his hand but it only grew tighter and she gritted her teeth in pain.

The hand grew closer. No, this can't be it, she can't die like this.

Tears filled her eyes as she realized there was no escaping. She was going to die.

The hand reached forward and grabbed her forehead, covering her eyes with darkness.

He muttered a word. The only word she had heard him say and then there was nothing but pain.

She screamed as the pain filled her head and body and made it feel as if she was being torn apart. She struggled against his hands to make it stop.

A flame began to fill her body, mixing the pain and heat together and forming a horrible pain.

She screamed louder as she could feel a burst in her lower stomach. She struggled, screaming as loud as she could.

"MAKE IT STOP! NO! PLEASE!" She could barely make out the words of her screams before it all ended.

She could feel the dull ache of pain as her body fell to the ground. She could barely feel the trickle of blood coming from her mouth as she lay motionless.

Her eyes slowly closed as the last thing she saw was the shock and horror on Sasuke's face.

"SAKURA!"

Her eyes closed and there was nothing but black.

* * *

"My future dream is to the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody!"

"Hey, Sakura! You want to get ramen with me?"

"I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain somebody."

"You're so annoying, Sakura."

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scrum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

"Try a little harder, Sakura! I know you can do it!"

"I never give up! I never go back on my word, that is my way of the ninja!"

"There's no meaning to a flower unless it blooms, Sakura. Who knows? You might turn out to be a flower more beautiful than a Cosmos."

"You don't need to hide behind your bangs, Sakura. Here, I have an idea!"

"There, you look so pretty, Sakura!"

Sakura jolted awake and looked around frantically. She lifted her hands to her face and could see she was still alive. But as she looked around, she realized she had no idea where she was.

There was nothing but black, empty space for as long as she could see. She felt like she was floating in an endless sea, but there was no cold, no heat, she could feel nothing, not even the pain that she could still clearly remember.

"Hello?" She called out but it seemed to echo within the space.

A small light appeared in the darkness, small and fading against the darkness that surrounded them. Sakura blinked as she light grew stronger.

"It's time to awaken, Sakura. There is much you need to be aware of."

The light burst into a shine that forced Sakura to cringe and close her eyes from the sudden brightness.

She kept them closed and could see brightness even from her closed eyelids. She felt a small breeze come across her face, caressing her hair and Sakura's eyes fluttered open.

She winced as they adjusted to the light before she looked around. She stood in a white room, barefoot but there was nothing underneath but smooth floors. She took a step forward and gasped at what she was now wearing.

She wore a bright red kimono with silver flower designs going upwards. Her hair was let down and flowed smoothly to her mid back.

She smiled at the beautiful kimono but looked around, wondering with caution where she was.

"Sakura."

She jumped at the shock of hearing her name before spinning around to face the one who called it. She gasped at the beautiful woman in front of her.

The woman's hair was a beautiful white and fell in ringlets to her waist, flowing around her like a halo. The woman's eyes were an orange that reminded Sakura of a sunset, the woman smiled and Sakura felt her breath taken away.

The woman wore a beautiful black traditional kimono with gold and red patterns rising up with cranes embroidered beautifully on the fabric. On the woman's head resided a small gold crown resting as a headpiece. In the middle of the headpiece resided a bright red ruby.

The woman smiled, walking gracefully towards Sakura, who felt the need to bow with just her presence.

"Who -who are you?" Sakura stuttered out, mesmerized by the beauty of the woman.

The woman smiled, finally stopping in front of Sakura. The woman was only about a foot and half taller but Sakura felt much shorter in comparison.

"Sakura," The woman let a serene smile grace her face as Sakura jumped at her name.

"How -how do you know my name!" Sakura felt annoyance when the woman didn't answer but continued smiling at her.

"All in due time, Sakura;" The woman's face shed her smile and directed a kind look at Sakura. "As to where you are," The woman's smile grew larger and Sakura felt a bad feeling come to her stomach.

"This is Purgatory."


	2. An explanation

Chapter Two:

The shock knocked the wind out of Sakura's chest. She struggled to stay upright as she processed the information.

"I'm dead?" She muttered in horror, her eyes wider than she thought they could be. Netsuki shook her head. "No, You are a very much alive."

She breathed in relief before frowning, looking at her in confusion. "Then why am I in Purgatory?"

Netsuki smiled but this time, it was small and sad. "You are alive yes, but if you do not receive the proper care you need, you won't be for long."

Netsuki waved her hand and a portion of the white began to swirl with colors before showing three figures running through trees hurriedly.

* * *

Kakashi held Sakura limp body in his arms bridal style but her body had blood covering the front, along with continuing blood dripping from her mouth. Kakashi gritted his teeth as he jumped, trying to carry Sakura and keep his balance.

Naruto followed closely behind, his face twisted in panic and horror. He kept glancing at Sakura's body with a look of regret and terror.

Sasuke followed looking more composed but even he looked shaken and Sakura could see the panic in his eyes and his footings were more sloppy than normal.

"Konoha is close! About ten minutes more! Are you sure you don't know what he did?"

Naruto growled before shouting over the wind. "He just grabbed her head! She just started screaming and bleeding!"

Sasuke said nothing but glanced a look at Sakura who was still limp, her hair flying in the wind but her skin growing paler by the second.

"Just hurry!" Sasuke growled out before upping his pace.

* * *

Sakura felt despair settle at the bottom of her stomach and tears formed in her eyes. She held them back, forcing herself not to cry. This was serious. She could seriously die in minutes.

She looked away from the scene and Netsuki dropped the image, it formed back into white as it was originally.

Netsuki gave Sakura a moment and Sakura breathed, putting a determination in her eyes before looking back at Netsuki. "Why am I here? If I'm not dead then why am I here?"

Netsuki looked into Sakura's eyes seemingly searching for something before smiling softly.

"That is a long story but I will start from the beginning." Netsuki turned to the white before waving her again and this time, the entire room changed from white and empty to a full village.

The Village was small, buildings no taller than two stories and many of the houses used wood and brick to build with. Sakura gasped as she saw people busying, wooden carts filled the street filled with things as fruit or vegetables or a few even sold Kunai.

People were dressed very simply. A woman across from Sakura smiled at her young daughter who held a small doll dressed in a tiny kimono.

Sakura smiled, she could see the sky, bright and blue above and the roads were mostly dirt and gravel.

Sakura gasped in shock as a man suddenly went through Sakura, disappearing for a minute before reappearing in front of her, continuing walking.

"They are only an image, of course." Sakura smiled in wonder. Netsuki gave her a smile. "This was once the large village of Hofuna. It existed and thrived about a thousand or more years ago."

Sakura gaped at netsuki. "A thousand years?" Netsuki nodded.

"Shinobi villages had not been created yet. Most shinobi were rogue, they served themselves or perhaps they had a small group they would travel and work with. In this time, it was very hard to become a shinobi and even harder to stay one."

Sakura looked around, surprised to hear that. "How did they get around and do missions?"

Netsuki let out a small laugh. "In this time Shinobi lived by no code or honor. They did what they want and when they wanted it. Some were kind, some tried to help others but there was a stigma around Shinobi that isn't around in your time. People, Civilians believed shinobi to be no better than criminals. They feared them, as all humans do with anything new."

Sakura looked at her in wonder. "They never told us that in the academy."

Netsuki smiled patiently. "Of Course not, there is little to no documentation of this age in your records remaining. Most were lost or destroyed over the years."

Sakura nodded in understanding. That seemed to happen a lot in time.

Netsuki smiled before waving her hand and the scene changed again.

Instead of the village, it all blurred until a tall temple stood in front of them, surrounded by forests on all sides.

The temple was white mostly but had gold accents all around it. Two large poles stood near an opening into the temple and each of the poles had symbols carved onto them.

Sakura frowned, looking at the symbols; she didn't recognize any of them.

Netsuki turned to Sakura, a fond smile on her face. "This is the North temple of the Guardians."

Sakura gave her a confused look and Netsuki let out a small laugh. "Of course you would have no knowledge of it. Before shinobi were considered to be a helpful force, The Guardians were the forces that controlled and protected the people. They were considered an Icon, run by those who could use chakra but not like a shinobi. There were five temples around the world, each run by one of the Five Guardians."

Netsuki smiled as Sakura took all the information in like a sponge, and her eyes brightened, ready for more.

"The Guardians were not like Shinobi. Since the beginning, one female had been chosen as a guardian. When a Guardian became close to old age, she would choose and train an apprentice who would then be chosen to become the next Guardian. Each guardian held immense power and were considered closest to a goddess."

Sakura nodded but frowned. "What did they do?"

Netsuki sighed. "Guardians were used mainly as a product of peace. They were used to help develop peace around the world. Despite the power the Guardians used, many guardians never seem any form of combat. They were a symbol of peace to control war and influence protection."

Netsuki's eyes darkened and her smile feel to a grimace. Her eyes hardened as she waved her hand and it returned to a white background.

"Peace was something everyone had craved. We had maintained it for many decades. Until someone came who unleashed the darkest war in history."

Netsuki waved her hand and the village returned, only this time, it was destroyed.

The buildings had seemingly been blown apart or burned down, some still burning a dull red with the aftereffects of a fire. The streets were lined with bodies, blood and debris from the houses.

The sky had darkened to a deep black and rain seemed to want to fall but nothing came. The smoke still came from the villages. Netsuki's face was lined into a grim look and she lowered her eyes.

"The destruction of Hofuna was the first warning."

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, horror falling onto her face.

She saw a small doll, the same doll she had seen earlier, burnt, lying on the street, blood covering its kimono.

Sakura fell to her knees, grief overtaking her. She felt bile rise up in her throat and tears fell from her eyes.

Netsuki waved the scene away and it returned to the white room they had began in. She waited until Sakura had regained herself and Sakura stood up, shakily.

"Who would do that? Why would they?"

Netsuki's eyes dulled and she looked past Sakura, her eyes seemingly far away. "A woman who many called the Queen of Demons, she was a woman whose heart was blacker than coal. She had remorse, no guilt, and no care for anyone."

Netsuki closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at Sakura. "This woman had the horrible ability of creating puppets, things she used to do her bidding. Like her, they had no soul, no heart, and no remorse. They followed orders and killed anyone in their way. That is what attacked you, Sakura."

Sakura remembered the red eyes of the hooded figure, the cold hand wrapped around her wrist. She swallowed and looked at Netsuki.

"But that-That was a thousand years ago, right? Then how could it be that?" Sakura clenched her fists; she could feel herself shaking but forced herself to stay upright.

Netsuki frowned but didn't answer. She continued with her story. "The woman began destroying everything she could; those who survived couldn't fight back for fear of being killed. More and more destruction happened night after night. The Guardians had tried to fight back during the destruction of Hofuna and were horrible overwhelmed. With the Woman being so powerful, and the current five guardians being too young to fight such evil, the five were fled out of the main country and were forced to train night and day to become powerful enough to destroy the woman."

Sakura gasped. "They just left? What about all the people?"

Netsuki gave her a grim look. "The guardians could not fight such a horrible power. They were the only ones capable of returning the peace to the world but they were not yet strong enough. They had no choice but to flee in order to return and kill the woman. Had they stayed, they would have been killed and the woman would have taken over everything with no one to stop her."

Sakura frowned. She understood but she didn't like it. She looked at Netsuki whose eyes were downcast. A thought occurred to her. "Were you one of the guardians?"

Netsuki looked at Sakura and smiled, small and sad and it looked pitiful on such a beautiful woman. "Yes, I was the guardian of the North temple. I was seventeen when the destruction of Hofuna took place."

Sakura could see the sadness and regret etched across Netsuki's face and simply nodded. Netsuki had a long story to tell and Sakura could see it was far from over.

Netsuki took a deep breath before continuing her story. "For three years, the guardians and I trained nonstop. The woman had taken thousands of lives and destroyed dozens of villages; she had created an army that was close to destroying all resistance to her power. For three years, the world had become a warzone that had no forgiveness."

Sakura stayed silent listening. Netsuki's lips settled into a firm line as she spoke. "The five guardians knew that once the woman was dead, all of the puppets would disappear so we went straight to the place she had made herself home for three years. The Northern Guardian Temple."

Sakura frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. Why was the north temple so important? Netsuki continued, unaware of Sakura's confused thoughts.

"We forced our way through her army and faced her in the temple. It was a harsh battle, the temple had become destroyed with the battle we waged but the exhausting battle had ended. The woman had been brought to her knees and it had seemed like we had won."

"The woman however had one more trick up her sleeve and while our guards were down, she used the last of her power to take our hearts. First was the Guardian of the South. She used her heart to control the guardian and the rest of us, tired and beaten were forced to fight out friend, our comrade, our sister as she tried to kill us."

"She took your heart?" Sakura shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing. Netsuki nodded with a deep frown.

"That is what a Soulless puppet is, Sakura. A puppet is formed by taking the soul and the heart, the core of a person and using it to control them as a puppet."

Sakura felt horror run through her. Such ability existed? Netsuki frowned and continued with her story.

"The Guardian, now a puppet was used to steal the heart of the guardian of central, then the guardian of East, and then finally, it was me."

Sakura gasped. Netsuki bowed her head. "I had to watch from inside my body as I and the others tried to kill the last guardian. The Guardian of West was tired, she was beaten, she was hurt and she was not going to last much longer. She knew what she had to do though, and she did what none of us had the courage to do."

"The Guardian of the West, my friend, my sister, Korino diverted all four of us being used as puppets and killed the woman while killing herself. Korino, as her last act, was to kill and destroy all five of our hearts and the woman."

Sakura felt the shock and she felt the despair at knowing what the last guardian had sacrificed. She killed herself and her friends so she could make the world be in peace.

"With the destruction of the woman, all the puppets died, their hearts no longer able to be controlled, but there is no coming back from your soul being ripped out. All of the puppets were killed with no resistance and the world began to rebuild itself."

Sakura frowned. "And the other guardians?"

Netsuki gave Sakura a sad smile. "It was deemed the power was too dangerous and so the temples were forgotten and left to rot. No guardian was ever appointed and the world rebuilt. Shinobi took over the place the guardians had and no one had a need for them anymore."

Sakura felt disappointment rise in her. The guardians had sacrificed themselves to destroy the woman and became lost in history. Sakura still had one more question though.

"That doesn't explain why I am here."

The woman's eyes then lowered onto Sakura with a fierce worried and alert look. "You are here because nature has been disrupted. Somehow the Soulless Queen, the woman who caused so much destruction has risen from the dead."

Sakura's eyes went wide and the knowledge knocked the breath out of her throat.

"She has already begun to move and with no guardians present this time, they needed to be chosen. Sakura, it is up to you to become the new guardian."

Sakura gasped and took a step back. "Me? You can't be serious. That's not right! I'm only twelve!"

Netsuki frowned deeply. "I know. There is no other choice, Sakura. I believe you can train enough to destroy the woman before she does what she did in my time. Only you can do this."

Sakura clenched her fists, her heart beating rapidly. Her, a guardian? "No way, there's no way."

Netsuki frowned and stepped forward. "Sakura you must. If you do not, your friends, your family, your home, everything in the world could be turned into the darkness this woman wants. When you wake, you will have the beginning to develop the powers of the Guardian. I will guide you through the whole way and make sure you have the power to defeat the woman."

"Wait, what do you mean? I can't do this, I'm just a genin!"

Netsuki shook her head. "No, Sakura. You are now a guardian. There is no time. You must find the other four Guardians and you must head to the ruins of the temples. You will not be alone. I will be here to guide you. There is no time. You must hurry, Sakura."

"Wait, What? Why me? Why pick me!" Sakura shouted, desperation crawling in the back of her throat. She felt panic like no other as she realized this woman was throwing the responsibility of the world on her back.

"I am sorry, Sakura. You will never be a normal kunoichi. You must find the others and get to the ruins. Be warned, the longer you take, the easier the woman will find you and kill not only you, but everyone close to you and your entire village."

The woman's image began to fade and the white area around them turned black. Sakura panicked and she reached out to grab the woman, to stop this, to do anything but before she knew it the woman was gone and Sakura plunged into darkness.

"Find the others and Find the ruins. You must hurry, Sakura."


	3. A Visit to a Friend

Chapter Three:

 **Six Days after Sakura's Attack**

It was a sunny, bright day in Konoha and the heat had dropped considerable from the previous heat days. A light breeze flew through the wind and the clouds floated above the blue sky, drifting peacefully.

A small shop in the middle of the town had flowers bursting out of every angle and pots of flowers just on the floor. The door jingled as it opened and a young girl with bright platinum blonde hair stepped outside.

She smiled at the fresh air outside, the scents of flowers filling her nose. The girl had her hair pulled into a ponytail with a large strand in front of her face, pushed to the side. Her eyes were a baby blue with an outline of black around them. She wore an outfit decked out in purple, her body covered in wrappings from her waist to her thighs. On her waist she wore her forehead protector with the symbol of the leaf village.

"Be careful, Ino!" A woman's voice shouted from the inside of the flower shop and Ino grinned before yelling back "Ok, Mom!"

She closed the door and walked down the streets, putting her destination in the back of her mind for now. Her hand was clutched around a vase with groups of beautiful flowers placed delicately in it. She couldn't fight a smile at the beautiful day it was.

She relaxed and breathed in as she continued to walk down the street. She turned her eyes to a three story building decked out in a white coming up on her right and she frowned. She clutched the vase tighter and turned towards the building.

She walked in, the door sliding closed behind her and she smelt the familiar smell of sick, of blood and of cleaning supplies. She grimaced before pulling a polite smile and walking up towards the desk.

The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled kindly. "Hello, Yamanaka-san. She's moved to 301."

Ino smiled. "Thank you." She nodded to the woman before going down the hallway, she looked at the rooms each had a plaque on the door with the number. 305, 304, 303, 302…

Ino stopped in front of the wooden door labeled 301. She couldn't stop the hope in her chest or the shake in her hands as she opened the door. A lone bed lay in the room, a single figure laid under the covers, multiple wires and tubes hooked up to her arms. A monitor tracked a heart beat that kept a single rhythmic beat.

Ino walked over to the desk beside the figure and placed her vase of flowers next to the two others, both starting to wilt. Ino turned to the figure and was met with the pale, yellow and purple bruised face of Sakura Haruno.

Ino swallowed thickly as she moved her eyes to Sakura's rising chest, sitting down on the chair provided.

Ino felt unsure on how to begin talking but decided to start with "Hey, Forehead."

Once the words got past her lips, it all came tumbling out.

"You sure did it this time, didn't you? They said you have ruptured organs, tissue damage, your heart was failing when they got you hear. And you just got bopped in the forehead, shows how much you improved huh?"

Ino let a laugh that echoed around the room. Even to Ino, it sounded hollow and forced. Ino looked at her heart monitor seeing the steady rate before sighing.

"Your sensei took your team to go find the sannin, Tsunade. Apparently none of the doctors here can fix you. Well, you wouldn't have needed fixing if you had trained more, huh?"

"Guess I'm gonna get Sasuke, you can't even wake up, let alone fight..." Ino bit her lip as her eyes began to burn with tears.

She gritted her teeth. "I knew you wouldn't win Sasuke, you were always weak, Forehead."

The monitor continued its beat and Ino gritted her teeth, anger filling her, she stood up in fury, knocking the chain backwards onto the floor.

"If you had focused on fighting instead of Sasuke, maybe you wouldn't be in this position! Maybe you wouldn't be dying with no shred of hope of you getting better! Maybe you wouldn't look so pathetic! Sasuke wouldn't even leave your bedside until the mission came up! You got his attention, didn't you! Just had to be dying to do it! Are you happy now! Huh, Sakura! Answer me!"

She screamed as loud as she could, closing her eyes preventing the tears from falling out of them. She growled and opened her eyes.

"If you hadn't decided we would be rivals, we would still be friends! I could cry over you like a friend but I can't! We're not friends! Rivals, you said! Rivals! Rivals don't cry! I won't cry!"

Ino trembled and her eyes fell upon Sakura's bruised face and a sob came from her throat. Ino fell to her knees, grasping her face as tears fell from her eyes. She sobbed on the floor.

"We...We were supposed to be friends!" She sobbed.

"You, you were supposed to surpass me, Sakura! Remember, you were supposed to bloom beautifully!"

Ino screamed to the floor as she continued to sob.

Ino clenched her fists as her sobs began to fade and she sniffed and stood up and looked at Sakura. Her eyes were filled with tears and her face was red. Her mouth trembled as she stared at Sakura.

She pulled the chair up and sat down quickly. She looked at Sakura's face, tears falling from her eyes. "I don't care about Sasuke, you can have him, I don't want to be rivals, and I just want my friend. Sakura, Please, I just want to be friends, again."

Sakura's chest moved up and down with her breathing and Ino trembled. "Just wake up, just be okay, please. Please, Sakura." Ino stared at her face for any movement, any change.

A minute went by and Ino sobbed, letting her head fall onto sakura's waist. "You can't...You can't die yet."

The room went silent with nothing but Ino's muffled sobs and the heart monitor to carry noise. A nurse passed by the room, she stopped silently and lowered her head; she shut the door quietly and continued onwards.

Ino laid there until no tears were left for her to cry, her throat was dry and she knew her voice would be cracked from all the crying. She didn't feel like moving though, until the side of her head began to heat up. Ino opened her eyes in confusion and lifted her head upwards.

The spot on Sakura's waist was hot. She lifted the blankets off that spot and gasped in alarm. A small portion of the gown sakura was wearing had been burnt. Ino gaped at a burn mark on her waist that was glowing deep red.

Ino lowered her finger to touch it, she felt her finger touch the burning mark but instead of feeling heat like she expected, everything was a blur of color.

Ino stood outside, she saw her family's flower shop and the hokage's tower in the distance but something was very wrong.

Ino gasped in horror as everything was burning, the building had been lit on fire and most of the buildings were halfway burnt through. Her breath quickened as she felt the heat coming from all the buildings around her.

"What…What's going on?" She yelled, seeing a building beginning to crash into the ground. The skies were lit with black smoke from the fire and Ino felt the terror run through her.

"Ino…."

Ino jumped and turned around and screamed. Her teammate, Shikamaru stood in front of her, Choji next to him.

Both were covered with blood and Choji had a large hold in his stomach, his eyes empty and black. Shikamaru's eyes were normal but blood poured from his mouth as he struggled to stay upright.

"Ino…please…." Ino screamed their names before running forwards but everything flashed in a pool of color and it was all white.

She looked around furiously and realized she was inside the hospital, next to Sakura.

Ino's hands trembled as she pulled them away from Sakura in horror. The burn on her stomach was still there, but the clothes were normal, it was as if didn't even happen.

Ino stepped backwards, fear filling her. What just happened? What's going on?

She looks back at Sakura and the burning village filled her mind before she shook her head and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Ino tried to remain calm as she walked out of the hospital and into the village but couldn't help the paranoia filling her. A flash of red came from the corner of her right eye and jumped only to see a woman selling a red dress.

Ino tucked her hands around her before moving onwards. She closed her eyes, breathing normally. "Just calm down, whatever that was is gone. It was nothing, just need more sleep."

"Ino!"

Ino couldn't stop herself from jumping as she turned around, her eyes wide with fear. Shikamaru stood behind her with Choji. They both gave her a peculiar look and she straightened, dropping her hands to her sides. She gave a smile but she could feel it wavering.

"Hey, what's up?"

Choji stopped eating his bag of chips and gave her a worried look. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Ino groaned inwardly as she knew they both noticed her behavior.

"I just went to see Sakura. What are you guys doing?" She smiled, hoping to play it off as being worried for sakura.

Choji nodded and continued to eat but Shikamaru just narrowed his eyes. Please, don't notice, please don't notice, ino chanted in her head.

"We were just heading to the barbecue, you going to join us?" Shikamaru said, his eyes narrowed slightly and Ino smiled, relaxing slightly.

"Uh, I guess, why-"she cut off as the world began to blur into red and fire and she stepped back in horror as both Shikamaru and Choji returned to their bleeding forms.

She heard screams in the background and shikamaru reached his arm forward. Ino Jolted backwards before it was all normal again.

She looked around as she heard Shikamaru and Choji calling her name. "Ino!"

She saw the shops, the buildings all of it normal and almost sighed in relief.

"Ino, are you okay?" Choji asked, worry all over his face. Ino faced him and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, I'm a little tired. Um, maybe some other time."

She smiled before turning around to walk away. She could feel both her teammates eyes on her and it made her even more paranoid.

She turned left to get out of sight and made her way towards the training grounds. She didn't want to go home; she didn't want to face her mother after what she just saw. Maybe if she relaxed it would help.

I just need to relax, she thought to herself.

She walked into the training ground and collapsed on the trunk of a nearby tree. She sighed and rubbed her head. She was stressed.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her. She just needed to relax.

Pretty soon, her shoulders relaxed as she listened to the birds chirping, and the sound of a small river bubbling not too far away. She smiled as a breeze came through, her hair floating in the wind around her like a halo.

She sighed in content.

A piercing scream ran through her ears and she clutched them, opening her eyes only for them to widen in horror.

A scream struggled In the back of her throat but she couldn't get it out. The forest she had been in was gone; instead all around her was flames. Tree trunks barely stood out from all the fire that surrounded her. She felt panic rise in her.

She jumped backwards as a scorching heat burned her and she gasped, feeling the sting from the burn. All around her, everything was on fire and not a single living creature came.

A piercing screech ran through the air and Ino covered her ears and screamed. She felt something run down her fingers and she looked at them to see blood.

She felt terrified, holding her ears that were now bleeding from the inside. She felt tears rise in her eyes, pain coming from her ears and back and she whimpered, falling to her knees.

She heard screams and finally could recognize what they were saying only to wish she hadn't.

"Please, no, please, spare me!"

"No! Daddy, wake up! Please, daddy!"

"Someone help! Please, we're dying!"

"Oh my god, Stop! Please, it hurts!"

The begging voices ran through her head and Ino groaned and laid her head on the ground, trying to block the voices with her hands, blood running down her arms.

She cried into the ground. "Stop, please, stop." She begged.

She shut her eyes as tight as she could and screamed. "Stop!"

Then it all went quiet.

She breathed heavily on her side still on the ground, but the voices were gone. She no longer felt the heat from all around her. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

She looked at her hands, turning them every way, searching for the blood she knew had been there but it was gone. It was clean, nothing but mud on her hands.

She looked at the forest, it was all normal, the trees were green, and the grass was green, no sign of fire or red anywhere.

She felt bile rise in her throat as she realized she must have imagined all of it.

Ino twisted her hands into the grass and lowered her head to the ground, her voice cracking as she spoke the one question she needed the answer to.

"What's happening to me?"


	4. Awakening

Chapter Four:

 **Two weeks after Sakura's Attack**

A slow, steady beat filled her ears as she lay in nothing but darkness. She felt warm and felt something laying on her. She wiggled her toes, feeling the warmth and recognized the feel of a blanket. Her eyes lay closed as she heard the beeping keeping rhythm. It was so warm…

Sakura let her eyes flutter as a sense of restlessness came into her. She needed to open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open and she blearily opened them, only white coming into her vision. She stared at the white ceiling, her eyes readjusting to the brightness that was unaccustomed to her. She took a deep breath and her eyes went wide as everything came flooding back.

She jumped, sitting upwards and looked hurriedly around the room. The beeping grew louder and heavier and she realized the needles stuck to her arm, along with a breathing monitor on her finger. She remembered the face of the silver haired woman and visions of fire and destruction.

Her heart calmed to its normal pace as she relaxed, seeing where she was. Was that all a dream? Did any of that actually happen?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she turned towards the door and a brown haired nurse stood there. A gasp came from the woman and Sakura wanted to call out, say anything but uncomfortable dryness came from her throat and she winced as she attempted to make a sound.

The nurse stared at her a bit longer before hurrying down the hallway, her shoes leaving a clicking sound.

Sakura frowned before looking at the bedside table. It was filled with three vases of flowers. One was fresh but the others were wilting and looked dying.

"You're awake."

Sakura turned towards the door and a woman with blonde hair stood there. Her eyes were a kind brown and she had a small purple diamond on her forehead. She wore a grey top and Sakura couldn't help but notice her chest area was quite large.

Sakura blushed before looking at the woman's face. She walked forwards and stopped near the end of the bed. "My name is Tsunade; I'm one of the three sannin."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Why are you here?" She winced as her voice came out rough and scratchy. Tsunade stared at her for a moment but answering.

"Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?"

Sakura frowned, remembering the hooded figure and Naruto and Sasuke getting beaten and held down. She remembered their screams and visibly winced as she remembered the pain she had gone through.

She nodded, solemnly. Tsunade seemed to give her an understanding look before nodding and continuing.

"You had severe organ ruptures, major tissue damage but surprisingly not a single bone was broken. You were close to death nearly every minute and the hospital here was not equipped to deal with such injuries but they were able to get you stable until I arrived."

Sakura nodded and Tsunade's face twisted in annoyance.

"I had the luxury of being tracked down by your teammates, the orange brat and the emo kid." Sakura held her smile at the descriptions of her teammates but it was obvious of Tsunade's dislike of them.

"Some teammates you go there, both more annoying than I thought possible."

This time Sakura did crack a smile. She grinned and wondered exactly what happened to make Tsunade dislike them so much.

But looking at Tsunade, her face twisted in annoyance, she realized there was hint of fondness. Sakura smiled, that was her teammates alright. Ready to drive you crazy but you still love them.

"Why did they need to find you?" Sakura croaked out in her rough voice, she coughed and swallowed, hoping it would help.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I'm not just a sannin; I am the best medical Nin, period."

Sakura's eyebrows shot over her head as she gaped at the woman. Tsunade smirked at her.

"Anyway, I managed to heal most of your injuries within a couple days but one was unable because of the tissue damage. There's a large burn on your waist that I was unable to heal."

Sakura's eyes shot open in surprise. She lifted up her shirt and nearly gasped at the huge scar now adorning her waist. It was a burn alright, and Sakura gulped as she stared at it.

The skin was still pink and raw and the burn seemed to stretch all the way down her right side. What caught Sakura's attention though was the burn was etched into a flame mark.

She dropped her shirt and looked up at Tsunade. Her thoughts immediately went to her dream with Netsuki. Was this a part of the guardians?

Tsunade coughed, catching Sakura's attention once again. "Well, you've been unconscious for over two weeks. We've been waiting for you to wake up; you are well enough to check out and should probably go find your teammates and parents. All have been extremely worried."

Tsunade quickly took out her needles and wires hooked up to her and sent her a smile, stepping back.

Sakura nodded, giving a smile back. "Thank you so much, you saved my life."

Tsunade coughed and turned towards the door. "You're welcome. I'll get you checked out; feel free to change into clothes, your parents left them in the chair."

Sakura turned to the chair beside her and smiled at the clothing neatly folded. When she looked up, Tsunade was gone and the door had been shut.

Sakura let her smile fall and she laid a hand on her burn, now scar. A serious look crossed her face. She didn't remember being burnt at all. Was this a part of the Guardians? Did Netsuki do this?

She sighed before standing up, her feet wobbled but she steadied herself by grabbing onto the bed. She sighed. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Sakura, once fully dressed walked out of the hospital. She felt uncomfortable as she walked her legs and back were so stiff. She stretched her back and almost winced at the still sore muscles.

She looked around and turned to the familiar road to get home. A few civilians smiled at her and she smiled back, unsurely.

One waved and she sent a slight wave before continuing to her house. She stopped in front of the house that she had spent so many years in. She smiled brightly before walking up to the door.

She knocked three times but standing back and waiting, her hands around her back. The door clicked and opened and the face of her father stood in the doorway. His mouth opened and he gaped at her for a minute before his eyes watered.

"Sakura! You're out, you're awake!" He rushed forward and nearly crushed her, wrapping his arms around her so tightly. Sakura gasped in pain, as her stiff muscles protested.

He jumped back. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sweetie. I got carried away." He couldn't stop the beaming grin that was on his face and turned into the house and yelled "Mebuki! Sakura's awake!"

Sakura heard a rush of footsteps as it piled down the stairs and her father stepped aside and she stepped into the house as she heard her mother curse as she rushed from upstairs.

The door clicked behind them and Sakura's mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes widened and she gasped before rushing forward and lightly grabbing her in a hug.

"Oh, Sakura! You're here! I can't believe it!" Sakura smiled into her mother's hug especially when she felt the tiny water drops on her shoulder.

Sakura smiled. "I'm home, Mom."

* * *

Sakura sighed as she left her parent's and headed towards the training grounds. This was the part she was dreading. How stupid she must look to them. Freezing and then getting seriously injured when he just grabbed her forehead.

She sighed but her eyes darkened as she remembered exactly what Netsuki said about them. No soul, No heart, no remorse, nothing more than puppets.

She frowned deeply and before she knew it she heard a loud scream and jumped only to see an orange bouncing ball of energy land in front of her.

She nearly jumped back as she saw the bright colors of Naruto and groaned, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Sakura-Chan!" She opened her eyes and smiled at Naruto who looked positively beaming at her. He grinned but she noticed how he seemed to be keeping his distance as if worried he might hurt her.

She smiled. "We didn't know you woke up! We went to train after visiting earlier today."

He grinned at her and she couldn't help but smiled back.

Kakashi appeared behind Naruto, his mask crinkling into a smile. "They released you, huh? That means you must be a lot better."

Sakura nodded, still smiling but noticed the falter in Naruto's smile. She smiled. "Yea, they said I was mostly healed."

Naruto grinned at her and Kakashi nodded, still smiling.

She looked behind Naruto and saw Sasuke standing farther back. He looked at the ground, his hands stuffed into his pockets. She blinked and smiled.

He muttered something before she could speak and she frowned. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't hear that."

He sighed before muttering louder "It's good you didn't die."

Kakashi face palmed and Naruto just looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Sakura nervously laughed. "Uh, yea, that is good." She smiled anyway.

That was the nicest thing he had said to her.

She jumped as the face of the puppet came into her head. She frowned and calmed herself. Naruto was talking about Ramen, as usual but she noticed Kakashi's glance in her direction and Sasuke's narrowed eyes. She smiled.

"You want to get some ramen, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled at Naruto and was about to reply but she flinched and her hands flew to her waist as she felt a burning feeling coming from her scar.

She looked at it panicked before Naruto asked "What's the matter, Sakura?"

She jumped, looking at him and smiled carefully, trying to look casual. She wrapped her hands around her waist, trying to cover the singeing fabric.

"Uh, sorry, I got to go but I will tomorrow, okay?" she smiled trying to look convincing but she could see Sasuke and Kakashi looking suspicious while Naruto just grinned.

"Uh, see you guys later!" She walked as fast as she could, hoping she didn't draw any more attention. She groaned as she realized she was going to be grilled about that tomorrow.

As soon as she was out of sight, she broke off into a run; she ran as fast as she could to her house and opened the door in a hurry. She saw her mom in the kitchen and bypassed her, running up to her room as fast as she could.

She struggled to catch her breath as she stopped in front of her mirror; she moved her hands to look at the scar. It was glowing a dull red and she touched it with her finger but she felt even more panicked when she felt nothing but her own skin.

She felt her heart rate go up as she glanced at the mark which was burning through her clothes. She through off her kimono, changing into her pajamas in order to keep an eye on the scar.

She sat on her bed, and was careful not to touch anything with the scar. She stared, her heart rate increasing by the minute.

What the hell was happening?

Sakura jumped as her mother came into the room. She pushed her scar under the blankets, hoping her mother didn't notice.

"Sakura." Her mother looked worried and sat on the edge of Sakura's bed. "Are you alright, you raced in here pretty fast."

Sakura nodded, giving her a hopefully convincing smile. "Yea, just got tired."

Her mother nodded before sighing. She looked at Sakura with the same look and Sakura felt relief come across her. "Your father and I got assigned to a mission. I'm sorry honey; we'll only be gone for a few days."

The first time disappointment or hurt didn't come across her as her parents had a mission. She nodded, pretending to be disappointed. "It's okay. I'll be okay." Her mother looked at her worried for a minute before sighing and Sakura knew she had won.

Her mother smiled and held her arms out for a hug, leaning in and Sakura panicked.

"No!"

She jumped back, before a look of guilt came across her face.

She couldn't let her mother find out about the scar. Her mother had a hurt look before standing up with a sad smile and Sakura felt the guilt eat her alive but remained quiet.

Her mother sighed and Sakura lowered her head in guilt as she heard her mother leave.

"We both love you, Sakura. I hope you know that."

Sakura's head snapped up but her mother was gone.

She moved the blankets and saw her scar had stopped glowing. She sighed in relief but frowned.

Her mom was hurt now. Sakura groaned and lay back on the bed.

"Why me? Maybe I can pretend it didn't exist. For all I know I was just hyped up on drugs and adrenaline." Sakura sighed.

She closed her eyes and relaxed against her bed.

She jumped as the visions she saw of the village destroyed came back into her mind. She jumped up in bed, and groaned.

"What am I supposed to do, Huh? What? Why can't you do it?"

She felt her frustration fill her as she yelled at nothing.

"You know why, Sakura."

Her eyes went wide and she looked around but the voice seemingly came from nowhere.

"Find the guardians. Find the temples. If you don't, those you care for will not be the only casualties."

A shiver went down her spine at the ominous words that echoed around her. She pulled her knees to her chest and let her head fall onto her knees.

A sob came from her before she was full on crying.

How? How was she supposed to save her village?

Tears fell onto her knees as her scar began to glow a dull orange.


	5. Concern

Chapter Five

The house was still and silent as Sakura walked down the stairs. Not a single noise came from the stairs and she felt a shiver run down her back at how eerie it was. She shivered as she landed and a single thump came from below her feet. She shook her head, it was creepy as she walked towards, slipping on her shoes and closing the door.

She sighed and rubbed her dry eyes. She tried as hard as she could to make sure they weren't red but Sakura felt she still looked like she was crying last night. She sighed, it couldn't be helped. She didn't get much sleep because she spent all night crying.

She sighed and walked towards town. She didn't know what to do, how was she going to save the world when she couldn't even beat Naruto? She frowned and thought of her team.

Naruto and Sasuke had always been stronger than her. They both were miles ahead of her, she was always watching in the background, watching as their backs faded.

Why weren't they chosen as the guardians? Why wasn't more experienced ninja? Maybe the Kage could do it. She sighed. She lightly touched her scar and grimaced. Netsuki had said she had this amazing power but she felt the same, she felt like she was still that annoying girl.

She sighed. Why couldn't Kakashi take care of the puppets? Surely he would be strong enough. She looked at the path to the training grounds. It wouldn't hurt, maybe he would have heard of it and believe her.

She nodded to herself and headed towards the training grounds. She heard the sound of kunai clashing before she saw them and a blur of orange and blue came crashing at each other. She stared in awe as she watched her teammates spar.

They were a lot faster than she thought. Both continued to spar and she spotted Kakashi not far away, quietly reading his orange book. She rolled her eyes, one day she was going to find out what was so important in that book.

She walked towards him and felt a nervousness settle in her stomach. She cursed inwardly, there is no reason to be nervous, it's just Kakashi and he will believe her, right?

She took a deep breath and smiled as she came closer to Kakashi. Before she could call his name he turned and looked up with his mask crinkling in a smile but she saw his eyes narrow a tiny bit.

He must still be concerned about what happened yesterday and she relaxed her shoulders making herself look welcoming.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well, Hello, Sakura. How are you feeling today? Better than yesterday?" His eyes looked at her figure, searching for anything to be suspicious about and She made sure to relax herself. She laughed.

"Yea, Sorry about that! I was still getting used to being up. Two weeks in a coma can do a lot, you know?"

He searched her for a minute before finding what he needed and nodded. He smiled at her and asked "Did you see the Hokage, yet?"

She shook her head. "I was going to but I wanted to ask you something first."

He turned to her, a friendly aura around him and Sakura breathed in, her stomach still fluttering around uselessly.

"Do you know anything about the Guardians?"

He blinked in surprise and gave her an odd look. "The Guardians?"

She nodded, her stomach already sinking as she looked at his confusion. "Yea, they were five guardians chosen every few years to conserve peace. They lived about 1000 years ago."

He looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing and shook his head. "Sorry, I have never heard such a thing."

Her heart sunk but she kept a smile, maybe she could tell him and he would give her his advice. "Well, they conserved the peace and each one was similar to a god or goddess. They made sure there was peace around but about 1000 years ago, There was a-"

"I'm sorry, Sakura but where did you hear this?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion and her smiled faulted for a minute.

"I found it in an old scroll my mom owns."

The lies flew off her tongue before she could stop it and she inwardly cursed. His eyes narrowed and he frowned deeper.

"I haven't seen anything about this before. Why is it important?"

Sakura faulted and she shrunk in on his narrowed gaze and she muttered "I had a dream when I was unconscious and this woman-"

Before she could get farther, He shook his head and smiled at her. "Sakura, it was just a dream. There is no reason to bring this up, it may not even be true, It was probably just an old story."

She frowned and looked up at him. "But it was-"

He shook his head. "Go home and rest, Sakura. You need to be able to start training again. It was nothing Sakura. When you're ready to start training, you know where we are."

Her shoulders slummed as he turned away from her. She wanted to protest, to say something, to tell him he was wrong but she knew he wouldn't listen.

She sighed and turned away, her heart and hopes sunk. What would she do now? Kakashi just said she was dreaming, he didn't believe her.

Doubts began to run through her mind, what if he was right? What if it was just a dream or hallucination? Maybe she was just imagining all of it.

She had no proof that any of it existed. Her conflicting thoughts continued as she walked through the town. She had no idea what to do.

If her own sensei didn't believe her, who would?

"Sakura." Sakura looked up, snapping out of her thoughts and saw her rival, Ino.

Ino gaped at her before a smile slipped across her face. She ran forward and Sakura nearly fell backwards at Ino's sudden weight crashing into her.

Sakura blinked in surprise as Ino hugged her and felt Ino shaking a bit. She hadn't hugged her since before they became rivals. Sakura smiled as she hadn't realized just how much she missed her.

Ino suddenly jumped back and coughed. She gave Sakura a smirk and Sakura gave her a confused look at the sudden change.

"So you're finally awake, huh? Let's hope you don't get hit in your giant forehead again!" Ino grinned at her and Sakura growled.

She glared at her, the nice moment now gone. "You know what, Ino? At least I don't-"

Sakura stopped as Ino's whole body suddenly tensed and her mouth clammed up shut. Her eyes flew shut and she froze in place.

Sakura stepped forward. "Ino? Are you okay?"

Ino didn't answer but her eyes shot open and a whimper left her lips. "Not you too."

Sakura felt worry come over her and she tried to move closer but Ino jumped backwards. "I'm sorry, I got to go."

Ino turned around and ran. Sakura yelled "Ino!" but her back was too far away.

Sakura frowned. What was going on with Ino, now?

She sighed. Everything was getting messed up. Why couldn't things go back to normal?

She looked around and her eyes lit up upon seeing the Hokage's Tower. She was supposed to see the Hokage after she woke up but she didn't, Maybe he would believe her, He was old enough to maybe heard of the Guardians.

Her lips thinned into a line as her eyes set with determination. She headed toward the hokage tower, her resolve set.

The Hokage would believe her. He had to.

* * *

It was nearly an hour of waiting on the bench outside the hokage's office until she was allowed to see him. She sighed, her patience all but run out.

She stood up as the receptionist told her it was okay to enter.

She felt annoyed but pushed those thoughts away before she entered the Hokage's office.

The man sat behind a large table, piles of paperwork surrounding him and a white hat and outfit recognizing him as the Hokage.

He looked up at her and she saw how tired he looked. "Ah, Haruno-san."

She shifted, nearly wincing at the informal greeting and corrected him "Um, Call me Sakura."

He nodded. "Well, Sakura, How are you feeling? I heard you got released yesterday."

She nodded, and gave him a smile. "I'm feeling a lot better."

He looked at her for a moment before grabbing a file laying on his desk. He opened it and began to speak.

"Your teammates said that a ninja in a black hood began to attack your team. They said Kakashi was taken from behind and you seemed to be frozen."

Sakura nodded. "I don't know why, but I can't move or speak."

He looked up at her from the file and frowned. "It could have been a simple genjutsu. Did you try to break out of it?"

She frowned. "No, But as I said, I couldn't speak nor could I move."

He frowned, sighing deeply and said "Well, It may have just been a ability of the ninja." He looked down at the file and began reading the report again.

"They also said that none of their attacks did anything and they were trapped and held by black chains that came from nowhere."

Sakura winced and nodded. She remembered the pain on their faces as they struggled against those chains.

He continued onward "They said once they were trapped, the figure turned to you and you were unable to fight back against him." She stayed quiet as he looked up at her from the report.

She nodded quietly. He continued. "They said he covered your forehead and eyes and chakra surrounded both you and him. They then said you began screaming and blood came from your ears, eyes and mouth."

She looked up in surprise. She hadn't even realized she was bleeding except from her mouth but she nodded anyway. "It was the worst pain I had ever experienced." She flinched as she remembered the pain.

The hokage sent her a sympathetic look but frowned at the report. "From the report and injuries you received, It seemed very likely that he was a anbu level or higher. We have not been able to figure out exactly what he did to cause all your injuries but I am sure it was a ninjutsu of some kind."

She nodded. He looked up at her. "We have been seeing the ninja around for some time but there has never been injuries before." He looked at her, a frown adorning his features.

"Do you know why he might have targeted you?"

Now or Never, she told herself as she took a deep breath and asked the question that she had come here for. "I might." His eyebrows shot up and he looked at her seriously. "Do you know anything about the Guardians?"

Whatever he was expecting, It was not that. He gave her a surprised and confused look. "I know of the story, yes. Why?"

Hope nearly shot out of her chest as excitement lit through her. She smiled brightly. "You do?" She nearly sighed in relief before she continued. "When I was unconscious, I met a woman dressed in a red kimono. She said her name was Netsuki and told me about the guardians. She told me the story and said it was all real and that-"

He raised his hand and she quieted. He frowned at her. "Sakura, though I am unsure as to where you might of heard the story, I can assure you that the guardians is merely a bedtime story to teach a lesson to children."

Shock went through as her as the hope plummeted for the second time today. "Hokage-sama-"

He gave her a smile. "I believe what you saw what nothing more than a dream. You probably heard the story from your parents or grandparents as a child and only remembered now. I promise you, Sakura, that it is nothing but a story."

She bit her tongue once again as he smiled before dismissing her. A sense of hopelessness fell through her as she exited the Hokage's tower.

What was she supposed to do now? No one believed her. The Hokage didn't even believe her. She sighed before a soft glow caught her eye. She looked at her scar, which was now burning through her clothes.

If it was just a story, why did that happen? Why would her burn glow and burn her clothes?

She frowned and nearly gasped as she felt a presence in her mind.

"Sakura, there is a emergency." She recognized Netsuki's voice and nearly jumped back as it echoed in her head.

"Netsuki?" She wondered aloud, but nearly clamped her mouth shut, looking around, fearing someone heard her.

"Sakura, there is no time, the puppets are attacking your village. There seems to be five of them. Be careful, Sakura, They are very dangerous and if not stopped, they will destroy your village."

Sakura felt fear run through her and swallowed before making her decision.

"Where are they?"

Just as she asked, a large explosion set off and Sakura covered her ears. She turned and saw smoke coming from one of the marketplaces. She pushed away her fear and saw civilians screaming and running past her.

She gulped and took a deep breath. She took off running towards the part of her village that she was sure contained five of the puppets that almost killed her.


	6. A Skirmish

When Ino went to the marketplace to get ingredients for her mother, she was not expecting the loud explosion. She only a few moments to contemplate what had happened, dropping the food she purchased in the process, before a dark shadow came from the explosion.

Ino could hear screams of civilians as the man in a cloak turned to her, his red eyes staring at her, a long broad sword clutched in his hand.

In seconds, the figure dashed towards her and Ino jumped back in fear, seeing shinobi coming from the rooftops to help.

Ino's pale hands shook as she held her kunai in one hand, fear overwhelming her. She faced the hooded figure in front of her, which only paused for a single moment before dashing forward, its silver blade gleaming from under the cloak.

Ino jumped out of the way, turning to the side but the sword lashed out and caused her to once more jump to a different side. She let out a gasp as the figure spun before using its leg to kick her in the stomach.

Ino groaned as she went sliding back, raising her kunai in defense. This guy was way stronger than her. Taking a moment to look around, she could see civilians still running from the explosion at the market. Goods, fruits and vegetables were spread around the floor from the explosion and the market was a mess, smoke still coming from where the guy had landed.

She had no idea where he had come from, one minute it was fine and the next everyone was screaming from the giant hole in the ground and now she was being attacked by the creepy thing.

Ino barely managed to dodge a slash of the sword due to her thoughts and scolded herself for getting distracted.

She just needed to hold out until more ninja got here.

She ducked under a blow of the sword only for it to come swinging downward and she rolled out of the way, her heart racing.

She couldn't even get near him. She raised her shaking hands together for a hand seal only for the sword to go swinging towards her again, causing her to curse as she jumped out of the way.

There was a loud scrapping as it crashed into the ground.

His movements indicated he wasn't a shinobi but how the hell was he so fast.

Ino narrowed her eyes as the figure turned to her again with his sword raised. Ino jumped to the side and quickly slashed the side with the kunai.

She faltered when figure didn't even flinch but swung his sword once more. Ino jumped out of the way barely, protecting her face from the debris.

Nothing she did to it was working.

She growled, pulling out kunai and throwing it to him. She was even more confused when they all hit his chest dead on but he didn't even seem to notice.

It was like he didn't feel it, she thought as she dodged yet another swing.

Quickly seeing movement in her eye, Ino saw several ninja approaching her location, chunin by the look of it and she nearly breathed in relief.

The sword was faster than she thought.

Ino screamed as the sword came striking across her back in a downwards fashion. She could feel blood pouring from her wound as she fell to her knee.

She winced in pain and saw movement from behind her for a another strike and rolled out of the way, trying to ignore the immense amount of pain she was in.

She scrambled to her feet, trying to keep her stance only to wince.

That hurt.

Looking behind her she saw more of the hooded figures had appeared and that the chunin were not preoccupied as they surrounded the area.

She looked at the hooded figure, whos eyes were now visible under the hood. He raised his sword to strike her again.

Ino tried to dodge the blow but her limbs didn't' agree, suddenly stuck in place. She struggled to move, to do anything and panic grew in her eyes as the sword came nearer.

There was a flash of pink as the sword was knocked away with grinding of metals. Ino stared in shock as Sakura stood in front of her in a defensive postion, a kunai in her hand and a determined look.

The figure had stumbled ways back and Ino looked down at her limbs, noticing she could move again.

She cringed in pain as she moved in a way that disturbed her injury.

"Ino, are you alright?" Sakura's voice was urgent as she stared down the figure which had yet to move.

"yeah, just wounded." Ino muttered, pain in her voice.

The figure tilted its head before grabbing its sword.

Sakura held in place, ready for the next attack which wasn't long as she figure rushed forward, swinging the sword.

Sakura quickly blocked the strike with her kunai and struggled to keep it away as the figure put its strength into it.

Sakura grunted as the figure pushed her back, her feet sliding backwards across the rough ground. Sakura glared at it in anger and Ino saw something glow red on her side.

Sakura's eyes unknowingly turned red from where Ino was sitting and with a burst of strength, she pushed the figure back with a scream.

The figure and the sword went flying back but remained standing. Sakura breathed heavily and Ino saw her side glow even brighter.

Sakura twirled her kunai in her hand before rushing forward faster than Ino had ever seen her. The figure raised its sword to attack but Sakura easily dodged to the right before slashing its side with the kunai.

It turned to attack her there but she was already on its other side, slashing through it again.

The figure seemed to have had enough as it swung its other hand, grabbing sakura by the throat.

"Sakura!" Ino shouted, attempting to stand from where she had fallen to her knees. The figure threw sakura towards one of the many buildings around them and there was a loud crash as she collided with the building.

Ino looked at where sakura had disappeared shocked and finally managed to stand as she wielded her kunai, watching the figure warily as it turned to her.

It's sword scraped across the ground as it dragged, the figure approaching her.

Ino's eyes were drawn to the now collapsed building as it was now glowing red.

Confused and shocked, she watched as Sakura appeared, only slighty wearied, her whole body glowing red.

The figure turned to look at sakura just as she jumped forward and raised her fist and Ino nearly gasped when she saw her first was enclosed in flames.

Sakura's fiery fist rammed into the face of the figure and it went flying back as Sakura landed on her feet, the sword going flying.

Sakura breathed heavily as the red glow seemed to disappear. She stared at where the figure had flown and saw it stand back up.

She got into a defensive position again but it wasn't needed as a loud high pitched noise seemed to come from nowhere, causing them to cover their ears.

The figure looked at the sky before seemingly vanishing. Looking around, Ino saw all the other figures had vanished as well and the streets were left only with shinobi who had been defending their village.

Confused and very unsure of what just happened, Ino looked at Sakura who seemed less confused than anyone else.

Sakura looked at Ino and ran towards her, coming to her knees in front of her.

"Are you okay? Ino, you're bleeding!" She yelled, shocked when she spotted the blood.

Ino grimaced. "I noticed, Sakura."

"We need to get you to the hospital." Sakura hurriedly grabbed Ino's arm helping her stand and helping her to walk.

Ino grimaced as she walked next to Sakura, checking out the damage from the attack.

Several shops had been destroyed and several civilians were laying on the ground, unmoving. Ino grimaced, not from the pain though that was getting worse by the minute.

"How did you do that?" Ino muttered, trying to focus on Sakura's determined face and not the pain pulsing from her back.

Ino could see the hesitation on Sakura's face as she considered ino's question. "I've been training." Ino raised an eyebrow and could see the wince on sakuras face from the poor answer.

"Training with Fire? Why was your scar glowing? What's going on sakura?" Ino demanded, anger boiling in her, both from the pain and from sakura's lack of an answer.

Sakura stared straight ahead, determined not to answer it seemed as her lips were in a thin line. Ino huffed. "Fine, don't tell me." Ino growled out, her voice slightly hysterical.

"Ino!" Both of the two girls started when they heard the loud shout from behind them. Ino sighed in relief as she spotted her team.

Asuma quickly took Ino's weight from sakura, causing ino to hiss in pain as her wound was moved. She could see Chouji and Shikamaru's shocked looks from where they were standing behind him.

"What happened?" Asuma demanded, his eyes turning to Sakura who was quick to report.

"she was attacked by one of the intruders, I stepped in when she got hurt but it got away."

Shikamaru looked suspicious of this, his eyes flickering between sakura and ino. "how did you get hurt?"

Ino clenched her teeth. "Can you take me to the hospital now?" Ino demanded. Asuma nodded once, quickly helping her on his back, so not to disturb the injured any more. He quickly flickered in a wave of leaves.

Shikamaru and Chouji stared at Sakura demandingly once they were gone. Sakura sighed.

/

"you did very well against the puppet." Netsuki commented. Sakura frowned as she cooked herself a dinner, her muscles still sore from being thrown against a brick wall.

"I don't even know what I did. I couldn't even answer Ino if I wanted to." Sakura sighed, trying to remember the battle as much as she could. It was fuzzy, she could remember everything but couldn't recall how she did it.

"You must remember that your power is activated by emotion, Sakura. Rather, strong emotions. It is instinctual, not like regular chakra."

Sakura frowned. Her parents weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, they were on a mission so the house was empty tonight. Sakura frowned, not really understanding what Netsuki was trying to convey but accepting the answer anyway.

"I will train you tomorrow. You did well today, but you have a long way to go." Netsuki promised.

Sakura nodded, exhaustion overcoming her as she ate her food and prepared for bed.

She rubbed her muscles. "I have training with Kakashi-sensei in the morning but I'm free later. We don't have a mission tomorrow, I don't think."

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to relax. As she breathed, she slowly drifted off.

"There is much I have to teach you and not much time." Netsuki murmured softly as Sakura slowly fell into unconsciousness.


End file.
